Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Sora watched as the demon materialized above Hiyoko, his blade descending with lethal precision. Instead of worrying about her, Sora smiled. 'She sure got better at acting… pretending to be reckless when all her actions are premeditated.'

He had noticed it earlier—the subtle movement of her wing, a single feather falling downward and brushing against the demon's body. It looked incidental, a product of her random flight pattern, but Sora knew better. That feather was deliberate.

With Hiyoko disappearing before the blade could hit her, he could sense Netsu's body relax as well.

Glancing at her profile status, Sora sighed, still amazed by how strong she had become. Her species, her unique abilities—they were on a level that defied common sense. A smile appeared on his face as he imagined what his enemies would endure when faced with her.

Her stats had reached the maximum values possible for her species and level, thanks to their [Soul Link], and Sora knew Netsu's stats were similarly formidable.

Seeing the list of ridiculous abilities she had, he smiled. He remembered their discussions, and how he helped her reach this point.

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In the Alternate Dimension, during the 10th trial.

Sora had often wondered about the source of Hiyoko's special ability, [Intuition]. One day, in the [Alternate Dimension], she finally came to him with a theory.

"Master, I think I know how I developed it," she said, her voice brimming with excitement. "Whenever you and Aunty Kara were training in the [Boring Space], I'd play matching pairs by myself or with any beast I could find. I played so much that I started sensing which cards matched before I even touched them! At first, I thought I was just becoming super smart, but maybe… it's this Intuition ability you said I had?"

Intrigued by her theory, Sora decided to test her limits. Pulling out a deck of cards from his inventory, he challenged her to a game. To his surprise—but not hers—she won flawlessly, identifying every matching pair with ease.

Not satisfied, Sora changed the cards and used his mental power and mana to isolate the space around them, cutting off any external influence. He challenged her again, and once more, she correctly identified every match without hesitation.

Changing to other games requiring luck or guessing, he observed her closely. No matter the rules or how random the outcome should have been, Hiyoko always made the right choice. Sora couldn't deny it—her [Intuition] had potential.

Confronting her with games where no good choice was possible, he watched, surprised at how she could guess his intent.

Trying to understand her power, he was unable to help her develop it further during the early phases of her training. Continue your adventure at empire

Deciding to boost her overall stats before her evolutions, he helped her become stronger through their [Soul Link] and intensive training. After her stats broke through dozens of limits and eventually stopped growing, Hiyoko evolved for the first time, becoming a [Lucky Piou], an S-Rank species, before evolving into an EX-Rank species during her second evolution, [The Chosen Piou].

Unlocking a variety of special abilities, she embarked on a new path where luck was everything.

Sora watched as she developed dozens of special abilities that could affect her luck, her opponent's luck, and her skills. He often suggested ideas for skills, and was not disappointed in her ability to transform his ideas into real abilities.

Trying to imitate her power and replicate it, Sora failed despite trying countless times. He thought it might be related to her unique trait.

Reading the trait description, Sora was puzzled. Hiyoko was effectively climbing on his shoulders, using his level, talent, and growth factor to harvest unimaginable amounts of luck. The result was probably a power far beyond what one would have anticipated for the holder of such a trait. 'Maybe this is her luck as well?' he mused.

'So who's truly lucky? Is it me for having her as a familiar, or her for having me as her master?'

He wondered, feeling a flow of power through his body, granting him the ability to sense [Luck].

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As the sword struck the ground, the player from the demon race glanced down, surprised by the bird's unexpected dodge.

His opponent stood barely a meter tall, less than half his height. A colorful bird with feathers so multicolored that it looked ridiculous. Facing this strange creature, whose species he couldn't even identify, he fumed with barely contained frustration.

'This human… this is too hateful. To look down on me to this extent… it's unbearable!' he thought.

Just as he prepared for another strike, a sudden, powerful force rushed toward his face, nearly cutting it in two. Acting on instinct, his lightning-fast reflexes saved him, his hand moving up to shield his face.

The impact was painful. Blood dripped from his hand as he stared in disbelief at half of his blade, now embedded deep in his flesh.

'My sword broke… and then rebounded, almost cleaving my head in two?' he thought, bewildered by the bizarre chain of events.

Removing the blade from his hand, he channeled a healing ability to heal the injury quickly but was startled to feel mana in the surrounding space avoiding him, making the regeneration painfully slow.

Frustrated, he summoned a new blade, and tapped into his mana reserves to recover instantly. Determined not to repeat his mistake, he prepared himself to defend, this time refusing to underestimate this strange opponent.

As he formed a mana shield, he frowned. The skill felt weaker than usual, his control over it sluggish. He even sensed resistance from the mana itself, as though it were rebelling against him. 'It must be my emotions getting the better of me', he thought, forcing himself to calm down.

But before he could fully regain his composure, the bird swung her wings, releasing a powerful blast imbued with [Wind] Elements.

Still trying to gain control over his mana, the Demon prepared himself for the impact. Rather than dodging, he decisively reinforced his mana shield, concentrating on protecting his vital areas—his head, chest, and throat. As the wind blast collided with the barrier, his confidence wavered.

'Something's wrong!!' He thought.

The shield cracked almost instantly, the force piercing through as though it were paper-thin.

His eyes widened in disbelief. 'That shouldn't have happened. My shields have withstood far stronger attacks…' He barely had time to process the thought, using his blade to defend, before the wind broke through entirely, slamming into him with a force that sent him flying toward the ground.

The pressure of the blast wasn't just overwhelming—it was precise. Each gust seemed to move with purpose. It was as if the wind elements themselves had a consciousness, systematically seeking out the weaknesses in his defenses and attacking weaknesses around his head, chest, and throat.

Feeling immense pain, he used a massive amount of energy to recover from the damage faster than his vital parts being damaged.

Surviving the attack, and increasing the distance between him and the enemy, the Demon's frustration grew. 'This can't be real. She's targeting me perfectly, no matter how I defend… Why is everything failing me now? My mana isn't responding properly, my attacks are weaker, my defense crumbles…'

He summoned another blade, as the second blade broke when he tried to use it to defend, gripping it, but his fingers slipped as he raised it. Confused about his trembling hand failing him again, he managed to hold the weapon properly, but not before his opponent capitalized on the opening.

'Seriously? Light element? Damn it.' The overwhelming amount of light elements surrounding him made it clear: his last mistake—recovering poorly and failing to properly wield his own weapon—would be lethal.

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Netsu watched as his 'big sister' fought her opponent, flawlessly grinding at his mana reserves, crippling his mana control and making sure he couldn't fight back.

Recalling their sparring sessions, where she turned every encounter into a frustrating struggle to use his own skills, Netsu shook his head.

However, he knew that as long as one avoided direct contact with her, they could stay safe from her luck-altering abilities.

He thought, 'She used to ask me to let her touch me just to activate her skills during our spars. But now, she has found ways to trigger them with the slightest touch of a fallen feather.'

Watching [Wind Blast] wreck her opponent, Sora and Netsu smiled when they saw her enemy focus on healing while Hiyoko was preparing a monstrous amount of [Light Elements]. As she cast [Light Spearstorm], a massive amount of spears materialized, blinding the demon, and bombarding him.

Sora read the notification and smiled before turning to Hiyoko, who was still bombarding the now-empty arena. "Stop it," he said lightly. "You've already won."

Hiyoko immediately began bragging through telepathy, her pride and energy limitless.

Sora couldn't help but smile, his mood improving.

Despite everything they had endured, Hiyoko's innocence and joy remained untainted. It was a rare and comforting reminder of what he still fought for.

As the trial continued, Sora watched his familiars work together, defeating opponents one by one with great coordination.

When it came time for his fourth duel, Salim forfeited immediately, sparing Sora some energy. However, as the notification for his next opponent appeared, Sora's expression hardened.

Frowning, he read the name again. In his current state, the duel would be different.